Incredible. I didn’t know what to expect going in, and yet this blew away expectations.

Coming into this book, I was devastated. I came straight from sobbing over the end of Gideon the Ninth, starting this one as my only method of coping. And the tonal shift was exactly what I needed- the second person was so unexpected and so effective and so beautifully devastating.

Once I settled into the book and numbed away some of my pain, I found the book to be slow and frustrating, which was difficult without having Gideon’s hilarious running commentary. However, Harrow is really interesting in her own way, and this author does not pull any punches. It is pretty impressive how such a tonal shift could be pulled off and yet this book could feel so inextricably tied to the first one.

Similar to the first one, about half way through, this book kicks up and then, my god, THE REVEALS. It makes the groundwork laid in the first half totally worth it when everything goes off the rails.

I am very excited for the next two books. It feels like the world will only get bigger with each book and I am really excited to learn more about the glimpses we have gotten. In the meantime, I have a feeling these two books will lend themselves really well to rereads!